


Gravity

by TheSOLDIERway



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:01:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSOLDIERway/pseuds/TheSOLDIERway
Summary: Millie thought she was safe from WICKED. She escaped their maze and didn't have to play their games anymore. But she was fooled. WICKED is always there in the shadows, and once again she'll have to escape them. Only this time she has a different group to escape with. NewtxOC
Relationships: Newt (Maze Runner)/Original Character(s), Newt (Maze Runner)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 15





	1. The New Group

We did it. We beat the maze. The long years of being stuck at the center wondering day after day if we would ever get out, and we did. This would be a happier moment if it wasn’t for what happened… if Beth hadn’t have killed Rachel right at the end. Her hatred of the blondie was obvious from the start as she tried time and time again to convince us to turn against her and send her to the maze. To see her bleeding out on the cold hard ground like she was when we were pulled from that wretched place will forever scar my memory. Aris sat next to me on the helicopter. His knees pulled to his chest as he silently wept. The two had grown close in the short amount of time they had been in the Glen with us. He had never left her side through every obstacle. I put my arm over his small shoulders and pulled him close, trying my best to comfort the boy, but I had no idea what I was doing. He had only been around for a couple of days, but seeing him so broken filled me with the urge to protect him.

“Woah…” I breathed when I looked out the window, “Look at that.”

Below us was the maze. All of it. Every second that passed felt like an eternity as I looked at the ivy covered stone walls. Remnants of Shades skulking about the maze, picking off the rest of the girls that decided to stay. My heart ached for them, wishing that they had agreed to come with us. With a disheartened sigh, I turned my face from the window and closed my eyes, not wanting to waste another minute looking at that place. Sleep came to me immediately. 

* * *

_ Two Months Later _

“Here ya go, Blondie. Same slop as yesterday and the day before. Eat up.” I set two trays of food on the table where Aris and I sat every afternoon. This place took decent care of all of us. The few girls that we escaped with had their names called weeks ago, and we were the only ones left waiting to be taken away. 

More people showed up every few days, all with the same story. They came from a maze, rescued from WICKED. How many mazes had there been? How many were still out there with kids just like us? Those questions boggled my mind every time new groups showed up. Aris and I mainly kept to ourselves, but every now and again my curiosity got the better of me and I would converse with the other groups. I wanted answers to my questions. None of the staff here would do it, so I thought that maybe the other groups would know. It never worked out that way. They all had their memories erased just like we had, so they knew nothing outside of the maze. Aris had barely said a word since we got here. Losing Rachel took more away from him than I could ever understand. He was broken, lost without her. Getting him to eat was a chore in itself. Sleeping was a whole other ballgame. It didn’t help matters much when he would sneak through the vent shafts every night doing who knows what and didn’t come back till it was close to morning. 

He kept his hood up and picked at his food with the plastic fork. I took a few bites of mine as I watched him slide the morsels around on the tray. When he showed no signs of taking a bite, I nudged his arm and gestured to the food.

“You’re getting too skinny, stick. Eat.” I all but demanded. 

Aris didn’t so much as look at me as he took small bites of food. I gave a disappointed sigh as I finished my dinner. 

The doors opened as a fresh batch of newbies came in. They looked around, confused, but also relieved. It didn't take them long to cross the room to the tables and sit down. Wandering eyes, all of them. All probably thinking the same thoughts the rest of us had when we first got here. I wondered… maybe they had a different kind of tale to tell than the other groups here. 

"You gonna be alright for a sec?" I asked Aris as he gave up on eating the last ¾ of his food. He only nodded as he slouched down in his chair and picked at his fingers. 

I bit the corner of my bottom lip as I left him sit in his sorrows, and approached the new group of boys. 

"Hey fellas." I cheerily said as I sat across from them, "Where did you come from?"

The group glanced at each other as they debated whether or not it was safe to talk to me. The dark haired one in the middle spoke up.

"We came from a maze. These guys rescued us from WICKED." He said solemnly, "What about you?"

"Also a maze. We all came from WICKED’s maze." Shock and amazement shown in each of their eyes as they looked around at the many tables that seated the groups. "Not the same one, mind you. Everyone seems to have a different encounter with theirs. What was yours like?"

"Uhh…" they said in unison. 

I put my hands up in a surrender motion, "If you don't wanna talk about it, I totally understand. The first day out is usually the hardest. Everyone poking and prodding you the second you walk in the door. It gets kind of overwhelming. My name is Millie by the way. Over in the corner there is Aris. He and I came from the same maze."

"The same maze?" The dark haired one spoke up again, "Was he the last one up?"

"Um… yeah he was. He came a day after our new blondie, Rachel. Shook all of us something fierce. It was only girls the last two years until he showed up." 

I looked back to Aris, feeling that same pain in my heart at his depressed form. I forced my spirits back up as I faced the new group again, a painted smile on my face.

"Well, we'll be stuck here together for a while. What names do you all go by?"

I put my hand out to shake their hands. I've done this with everyone like clockwork. They all shook my hand, the confusion still written all over their faces as they told me their names.

"Thomas."

"Newt."

"Frypan."

"Winston."

"Minho."

"Fancy that. Nice to meet all of you." I made to move back to mine and Aris's table when the blonde boy, Newt spoke up.

"What can you tell us about this place?" He asked, his accent sticking out like a sore thumb, as he and the rest of his crew leaned forward to listen. They were certainly more curious than the other groups that came in. I turned back to them, resting my arms on the table.

"I can't say I know much, even though we've been here for a little over two months. They keep us on a strict schedule. Every morning we get some tests done, blood work and klank like that. They say it's to monitor our health to be sure no long term damage has been done from the maze. We come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner roughly four hours apart from each other. In between time we can do basically whatever we want, so long as we stay where we're supposed to. They never let us go past those doors." I pointed to the steel airlock door at the end of the mess hall, "Only when they call our name is when we can go through."

"What's over there?" Thomas asked, not taking his eyes off the doors.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Don't know. They say it's the start to our  _ new lives _ ."

Like clockwork, Janson came through the doors, two guards behind him, and a clipboard in his hand. He smiles at all of us, as usual, and everyone goes quiet. 

"Good evening gentlemen. Ladies. You all know how this works, you hear your name called, please rise in an orderly fashion, join my colleagues behind me. We will escort you to the eastern wing. Your new lives are about to begin.” He opened his clipboard, giving us all a passing glance before he started reading off names, “Connor.”

Janson read off his list of names and one by one the people called lined up by the door, excited smiles on their faces to finally be getting out of this place. They all chattered amongst themselves, being sure to keep quiet enough that the others could hear their name be called to leave. 

"-and Abigail." Janson closed his clipboard, immediately addressing the groans of sadness from the ones who weren't called, "Now now, don’t get discouraged. If I could take more I would. There’s always tomorrow, your time will come.”

With a turn on his heel, he led the excited teens out of the mess hall where they disappeared behind the large metal door. 

"Lucky finches. Being able to get out of here." I scoffed as I watched them leave, “We were the first ones here. At this rate, we’ll be the last to go.”

"Where are they going?" The Asian boy, Minho asked, gesturing to the door.

"Far away where the Cranks don't exist and WICKED can't find them. Where exactly, I'm not sure. Some people think it’s a farm. Others a large city.” I chuckled, “A few think that there’s some giant floating island past the mountains and that’s where they go. Basically… we have no idea.”

Thomas abruptly stood up and stomped to the door, his eyes fixed on a group of girls walking past the window. 

“Hey Teresa!” He yelled.

I leaned back in my seat as the guards stopped him at the door, refusing to let him through. 

“Friend of his?” I asked his friends. They all glanced at each other. Like Thomas’s relationship with that girl was some kind of village secret. “Girlfriend… maybe?”

“She’s a somthin’.” Frypan replied when the other’s stayed silent. 

“It’s probably best if you don’t pester him about it.” Newt chimed in with a serious tone. 

I crossed my arms and shrugged my shoulders. 

“Alright everybody. Dinner is over.” The guard by the door yelled over the chatter. “Head back to your bunks. We’ll see you all in the morning.”

The mess hall erupted with the sound of chairs sliding against the floor and quiet chatter amongst the groups as everyone cleared out. Aris stood by the table we usually sit at, waiting for me before we made our way back to our bunk. I followed suit with everyone else and stood up, straightening my shirt and brushing any leftover crumbs off of my sweatpants. 

“Well boys, it’s been fun.” I gave them all a half smile, and winked at the blonde boy. He looked away from me as his face flushed a light pink. I giggled and made my way back to Aris. Together we walked to our bunk. With all the other girls gone, it was just me and him there. Any bed we wanted, though we usually slept in the same ones every night. 

The doors locked up when it closed. After two months of being here, I still didn’t understand why we weren’t allowed to leave our rooms after curfew, but I also just got used to it. I walked over to the sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My hair had grown longer since I’ve been here. It used to only reach just past my shoulders in thick auburn strands. I pushed back some loose pieces that flowed over my hazel eyes, and looked for more differences in my appearance since we first came here. My skin was tanner. I haven’t been outside at all so it has gotten a little lighter. Some freckles popped out here and there, nothing too noticeable unless you really looked for them. Having three full meals a day and plenty of downtime caused me to gain some weight, but I still held my athletic build. My stomach stayed flat, even if my abs weren’t as prominent anymore. As I started to wash up, I heard the vent cover under my bed come loose. Turning from the sink, droplets of water dripping off my chin, Aris was climbing under the frame. A routine he does every night after dinner. 

“Don’t be too late tonight, Aris.” I said softly, “I’m not sure how long the extra pillow and rolled up bed sheets will fool the guards doing their rounds.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he gave a quick nod of his head, and shuffled into the vents. 


	2. A Daring Escape

It’s been three days since the new group came from their maze. No others have come yet, if there were any left. Maybe these crackfaces were the last ones to get out. I didn’t see too much of them at breakfast or lunch. The newbies usually had the most examinations their first few days here. Janson had strict rules about monitoring everyone’s health. Aris has been disappearing a lot more than usual. One of these days I might actually follow him through those vents to see where he’s been going. When dinner rolled around I took my normal seat next to Aris, watched him pick at his food while I ate mine. 

The new group called themselves  _ Gladers _ . When they came in for dinner I usually wandered over there after trying to convince Aris to come over with me, his usual answer was just no and he’d keep picking at his food. Newt, Minho, and myself would usually get lost in a conversation about the difference in our mazes. For the most part, they were the same. They told me about their Homestead, and how they ran things in the Glade. I told them about our Glen, and the monsters that lurked in the maze, completely different from their Grievers.

“Hold on, you’re telling me you didn’t have Grievers?” Newt said amazed.

“Not the ones you described.” I said with a mouthful of cornbread, “Our Shades were like giant bats, and they were out all day and night. They mainly stayed on the outside of the maze though. It was rare to have one come close to the Glen.”

Minho looked to Newt, “Could you imagine if the Grievers stayed in the maze 24/7?”

Before Newt could reply to his statement, I cut in with a different topic.

“So help me understand your slang, here. You guys throw  _ shank _ around a lot. What does that mean?”

“For the most part it means  _ friend _ in a way. Just a term we use as a nickname sometimes.” Newt said.

“Oh, so like a Stick then?” 

“Sure.”

We threw around our different slang, explaining to the other what the words meant. It was shocking to me how similar they were. How alike we all were even though we came from different mazes. 

“I wanna know what’s through that door.” Thomas interjected, not paying attention to the conversation that was happening around him at all. 

“Door?” I asked, obviously confused, “What door?”

Right on schedule, Janson came into the mess hall with his clipboard and started reading off his list of names. I kept my tone hushed as I turned back to a determined looking Thomas. 

“Do you mean that door back there?” I gestured my thumb behind me to the doors Janson comes and goes through every day.

“No, nevermind that. Thomas… we’ve been over this. You said they were covered up, you don’t know what you saw. It could have been anything.” Newt said sternly to Thomas.

“I know exactly what I saw, they were bodies.” Thomas whispered, “Aris said they bring a new batch every night.”

“Aris?!” I whispered harshly, “That Aris over there?” I gestured to the table where Aris sat examining his piece of cornbread like he’s never seen anything more fascinating in his life. They all followed my gesture, starting at Aris for a bit before turning back in on themselves.

“Well… I’m sold.” Minho said sarcastically. I kicked his shin and glared at him. 

“Aris may seem like a strange kid, but he’s smart. He’s the one who found our way out of the maze so don’t let me hear you say anything rude about him crackface, or I swear I’ll-”

I was interrupted by Janson’s voice growing louder as he called the last name on his list. “And last but not least, David.” The mess hall broke out in its usual applause for the lucky group that got to leave here and Janson began to follow them out the door. 

Newt leaned over to Thomas, but spoke to everyone at the table, “Ok, until we know anything for certain we should just keep our heads down and try not to draw any attention to ourselves, all right?” 

His words fell on deaf ears as Thomas shot up from his seat and made a Beeline to the door where the group was leaving. I bit down on my lip and held back a laugh. 

“What’s he doing?” Newt asked in disbelief. 

“Exactly what you told him not to do.” I chuckled. 

We all watched as he approached the guards at the door, trying to sneak past them like he was part of the group. These men were too smart and pushed him away. They shared some heated words before Thomas tried to shove his way through them. That’s when the yelling started.

“Oh no.” Newt flew out of his seat, followed by Minho, Frypan, and Winston. They all went to Thomas’s aid and pulled him off of the guard. I stayed behind at the table and watched the confrontation. That kid could not have been so stupid as to think he could just push his way through there, right? All the yelling caught Janson’s attention and he came rushing back into the mess hall to break up the fight. 

“What’s going on here?!” He yelled, standing between the guards and group of boys. I’ve never seen that man so heated before. It was almost intimidating. 

The arguing caught the attention of every person in the mess hall. Everyone went silent and all eyes were on Thomas and Janson. Wondering what would happen now. Janson put his hand on Thomas’s shoulder and said some calming words to him. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but from the tone I could hear from Thomas, he wasn’t about to calm down. Janson looked around the room, at all the eyes that were on him and sighed.

“Get them to their bunks.” He said. When nobody moved, he spoke louder, “Now! All of them!”

The guards moved in, yelling for all of us to move and get back to our bunks. Thomas must have said something to irritate Janson if he was sending us to bed early. In the confusion of all of us being moved and shoved around, I lost Aris in the mess of bodies. 

“Aris?!” I yelled above the shouting voices from all sides. “Aris!”

I saw his hooded figure on the outside of the group. He frantically looked around until his eyes settled on me. I shoved my way through the crowd of people being pushed and shoved out the door until I found my way to him and grabbed his sleeve so we wouldn’t get separated.

“Jeez, Aris.” I sounded like a mother scolding her child, “What have you been doing at night?”

I kept my voice as low as I could so nobody could hear me give away his sneaking out every night past curfew. When he didn’t answer me, I roughly shook his arm.

“Talk to me! What was Thomas talking about bodies for?”

The door to our bunk was thrown open and we were shoved inside. The doors locked, and I turned to Aris who still hadn’t answered me.

“Aris.” I said softer now, “I know you’ve lost a lot. I’ve lost a lot too, but I need you to talk to me. We’re all each other has left right now from our group. Everyone else is gone.”

Aris shuffled his feet before he looked at me.

“The names they call at dinner,” He said quietly, “I don’t think any of them are leaving.”

I shook my head in disbelief. 

“Wha-?” With a long sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes. “What do you mean none of them are leaving?”

“Every night I watch them take bags of bodies into a sealed room. It’s always the same number of people who had their names called at dinner, and they never come back out.” He spoke with confidence, something I haven’t heard from him in a long time. His tone was enough for me to know that he wasn’t lying. 

I heavily sighed and sat on my bed. 

"So what are you gonna do?" I asked. 

"Thomas got a key card from the guards at dinner. We're gonna get into that room and see what these people have been up to." 

Well that explains the confrontation at dinner. Thomas didn't seem dumb enough to think he could muscle his way out, even if he is the type to just fly off the handle and wing every step of the way. The determination on Aris's face made me want to cry. He's been such a sad sack for months that I thought he would never come out of it. I groaned as the tears burned into my eyes and pulled him into a hug to hide my emotional self. He went stiff, but reluctantly relaxed. When I let him go, I looked him dead in the eye and switched back into stern mother mode.

"You be careful, you hear me?" I said, "If they're doing what you think they're doing,  **do not** let them catch you."

Aris stared at me like he couldn't comprehend that I believed him. It took a moment for him to regather his courage and with a quick nod to me, he dove under the bed and into the vent shaft. 

* * *

Some minutes went by. I stopped counting after fifteen. My mind wandered with the theory that Aris had about the bodies. It couldn't be true right? Those were just cranks or sick kids that they found out in the Scorch. There's no way that they were the groups who were called to go to the safe haven. Then again, it would make sense to go about it that way… nobody would panic when their friends go missing or they get taken away. Avoid the mass hysteria by removing fear from their minds and replace it with a comforting thought that they'll just look forward to. A part of me hoped beyond hope that Aris was wrong, because if he was right… I didn't want to think about it. But what if he is right? Why would these people bother saving us from WICKED just to do who knows what to us while we're here? I remembered the recorded video at the end of our life in the maze that mentioned us being immune to the Flare virus. Does that have something to do with it?

My thoughts abruptly ended when the vent cover went flying across the floor, making me nearly jump out of my skin. Aris crawled out from under the bed, his face white like he's seen a ghost.

"We gotta go." He said quickly, "we gotta go now!"

"What? Go where?" I asked, jumping off the bed, "Aris, what happened?"

"I saw them. They were just hanging there lifeless, but still alive." His ramblings made no sense. 

"Who?" 

"The kids who had their names called. I saw them in there! They're coming for all of us, we have to go!"

He paced frantically around the room, only stopping when alarms started blaring and flashing yellow lights lit up the room. Aris took a large gulp of air and calmed his breathing. 

"Millie…" he said slowly, "They're WICKED."

"...What?" I lightly shook my head in disbelief.

"They've always been WICKED. We never escaped."

"But-"

"We have a chance to get out now. Thomas is gonna find a way, we can leave with them, but we have to go  **now** ."

I rapidly blinked my eyes for a moment as my brain furiously tried to process everything. "Uh, o-ok. Ok I believe you. Let's go." 

Aris dove back into the vent and I quickly followed behind him. He crawled so fast I could barely keep up with him. The vents were a maze within themselves. The constant twists and turns made me dizzy and feeling lost. Suddenly, Aris stopped and looked down two corridors.

"Which way?" I gasped. Being spoiled with laziness these last couple of months practically killed my endurance. 

Aris pointed down the corridor to the right, "Thomas and the others should be that way by now. Keep going until you find an opening below. I have to meet back up with Winston this way and we'll see you guys after we do something." Before I could say anything against it, he shuffled off like lightning and disappeared around the corner. 

I looked down the corridor he told me to follow, there were no turns, just one long section. At least I wouldn't get lost. "Ah hell…" Looking back to where he disappeared, I groaned and took off to where the other guys should be. 

* * *

Breaking into the female ward proved to be a dead end. Newt could practically feel the despair and fury radiating off of Thomas as he turned over every empty bed after finding that Teresa was nowhere to be found. Him and Frypan tied up the doctors with shreds of bed sheets while Minho held a gun on them to keep them compliant. Yelling sounded on the other side of the door. They were found, and armed guards were coming for them. Thinking fast, Newt kicked over a table and shoved it in front of the door, blocking entry, and buying them just a shred of time to find a way out. 

“We have to go!” He yelled. 

“I can’t leave without Teresa!” Thomas argued, red faced with anger. 

Newt grabbed his friend by the shoulders to stop his mindless pacing. “Thomas! There’s no time! She’s not here, we have to go  **now** !”

Thomas huffed and looked around the room with a scowl. He grabbed a nearby stool and threw it at the window by the empty beds. No luck. It bounced right off the glass.

“Newt help!” He yelled. 

Newt grabbed the other nearby stool, and together him and Thomas threw them at the window, shattering the glass.

“Come on come on come on!!” They yelled as everyone climbed over the broken glass. There was no stopping now. No time, not when the guards were that close to catching them. The table Newt used to barricade the door wouldn’t hold out for much longer. If they didn’t leave now, they were all done for. 

“Stay behind me!” Thomas yelled as he threw open a door leading outside of the med-wing. He stopped dead in his tracks as a guard stopped in front of the door, looking as shocked as they all did. 

One second he was standing in front of them, blocking their exit. The next, he was on the ground with a body on top of him. Millie stood up, brushing cobwebs and dust off her white shirt. Newt stared at her, eyes wide as dinner plates. Where the bloody hell did she come from?!

“Wooo!” She exclaimed as she looked up at the vent cover she fell out of, then with a chuckle looked back to the group of boys just as shocked to see her as they were the guard she accidentally took out, “You guys weren’t gonna leave without me were ya?”

They all came back to their senses and smiled at the crazy girl that just dropped from nowhere. Her smile dropped as the barricaded door behind them broke open and guards came pouring in. Adrenaline took over Newt’s senses as he heard the heavy boots on the concrete floor. 

“Ok, lets go go go go go!” She yelled and molded into the group as they all ran for the steel door up ahead. 

“This way!”

Newt swore his heart was going to burst out of his chest as they got to the door. Thomas swiped the keycard he stole from the guard, only to be met with a red light and an  **access denied** message on the keypad. He swiped the card again and again, hoping the message would change, but every time it was nothing but red and the door didn’t move.

“No no no!” Thomas yelled as he kept swiping. 

“Thomas!” 

Coming up the corridor, and blocking every exit they could have, Janson led a group of armed guards with riot shields. Thomas threw the keycard to the ground and pointed the stolen stun gun at them. 

“Open this door, Janson!” He yelled as he stepped closer towards them. 

The rest of them kept as close to the door as they could, hoping beyond hope that it would open. Their one exit to freedom. Newt felt a slight tug on the hem of his shirt and looked down to find Millie pinching the loose fabric between her fingers. Her eyes filled with fear the closer Janson and the guards got. He lightly grabbed her wrist and motioned her behind him. He hadn’t known her for very long, but if he had to, he would protect her if she couldn’t protect herself. 

“Listen to me!” Janson yelled, “I’m trying to protect you! The maze is one thing, but you kids wouldn’t last one day out in the Scorch. If the elements don’t kill you the Cranks will. Thomas, you have to believe me. I only want what’s best for you.”

Thomas didn’t falter for a second. He kept the gun aimed directly at Janson.

“Yeah, let me guess. WICKED is good?”

If Newt needed anymore proof that these people were WICKED, the smirk that snaked its way across Janson’s face as he lowered his arms and said, “You’re not getting through that door.” was more than enough. A quick beep from behind them interrupted Janson’s attempt at talking the group back to him as the door opened. Aris and Winston stood there, sweaty and out of breath. Aris held the keycard that opened the door.

“Hey guys.” He panted. 

“Aris! You crazy finch!” Millie yelled.

She let go of Newt’s shirt as she ran to Aris and pulled him into a quick embrace, mumbling something about her being worried. Newt looked back to Thomas, who was still standing off against Janson and the guards.

“Come on, Thomas Let’s go!” He yelled and followed last through the door. 

To buy himself any kind of time he could get, Thomas fired the gun at Janson, missing every shot. Before taking off in a sprint to the door, he threw the gun, like it would help at all. The guards wasted no time chasing after him and the door began to close. 

“Thomas! Come on hurry!” Everyone yelled. He narrowly missed getting locked on the other side as he slid under the gap. Newt clapped him on the back and pulled him to his feet. He felt a moment of relaxation as Aris busted the keypad to open the door, keeping a barrier between them and WICKED. Janson glared at all of them from the other side of the reinforced glass. 

“Go guys!” Fry yelled as him, Aris, Millie, and Winston ran off to the doors leading outside. Newt pulled Thomas’s shoulder and ran after the rest of them through the warehouse. WICKED soldiers started coming from all sides, but they were too far away to catch them where they were. The large steel doors opened to the desert outside, a sandstorm blowing fast winds and sand into their faces as it came through the opening. No hesitation as they all took off into the storm, disappearing from the soldier’s sight in the darkness.


	3. Unforgiving Wasteland

The shouts from the soldiers faded into the storm the further we ran. The sand blowing through the air burned in my eyes and filled my nose as I tried to breathe. I could feel the tiny stone particles crunching between my teeth and sticking to the back of my throat. 

“Guys!” I screamed into the howling wind, “We should probably find some shelter!”

“Good thought, genius! Where do you propose we go?!” Minho yelled back with sarcasm. 

I sent a scowl in his direction, knowing full well he couldn’t see it, as I ran past him. Through the darkness, a tall shadow shone ahead. It looked like a building buried in the sand the closer I got to it. Moisture and mold trapped between the window panes prevented me from being able to glance inside it. The lack of light anywhere could have also been a factor. I felt along the edge, keeping my balance as I stumbled through the sand. The solid surface beneath me gave way as a crack in the window broke open. Multiple hands grabbed ahold of me anywhere they could to keep me from falling into the dark abyss of the unknown. 

“You ok?” One of them yelled into my ear, the wind thundered so loud I couldn’t make out who it was.

“I’m fine.” I replied. My eyes strained as they tried to focus on what was inside the building. Beyond the broken window there was nothing but inky black darkness. “I think we can go in here.”

I held onto the edge of the broken window as I slid inside, afraid of slipping down the mound of sand into who knows what. At the end of the mound I could see solid ground and a hint of multiple hallways. I looked back to the others and waved for them to go inside. Minho went in first, and I followed in after Newt. The sand mound was steeper than it looked from the top. There was no traction to keep me from slipping as I barrelled forward, slamming onto Newt’s back, and knocking him off balance. It was a domino effect from there as Newt fell onto Minho, and we all tumbled down the mound landing in a heap at the bottom. The three of us groaned as we rolled off of each other. I was on my feet before them, the others coming in from the storm outside. Newt rolled onto his knees, his shoulders heaving as he fought to catch his breath. 

“Sorry about that.” I apologized as I held my hand out to help him to his feet. He stared at me for a moment before taking my hand and pulled himself up. I brushed some sand off the front of his shirt and reached up to ruffle his already mangy hair. He shook his head as bits of loose sand fell from his forehead. 

“Thanks.” He said as he patted sand off my shoulders and turned to look around. 

Thomas pushed past me when he got to the bottom. He paced around the area, fearfully looking around like WICKED would appear from the darkness at any moment. When he figured the coast was clear and we were safe for the moment, he wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the rest of us. 

“I think we’re alright for now.” He huffed, “Is everybody ok?”

We all nodded, taking this moment to breathe and figure out what to do next. Newt approached Thomas, his hands on his hips. 

“Can you tell us what you saw in there now, Tommy?” He asked.

Thomas looked to Aris, who stood next to me, and told everyone what they found behind the locked door. He explained the condition of the kids better than Aris had when he came to get me. Probably because there was time now to actually explain what was in there and why they were so shaken and desperate to escape. My heart sunk at how stupid and easily fooled I had been by thinking that we had actually escaped from WICKED at the end of the maze. An uncomfortable silence fell over us as we all took in the information.

“Ok…” Newt was the first to break the silence, “So what’s the plan?”

Thomas’s eyes looked at all of us, then back to Newt. He didn’t answer him.

“You do have a plan right?” Newt asked again, his voice growing a bit panicked at the silence he was given for an answer.

“Yeah. I don’t know.” Thomas said quickly. 

I stared at him in shock. He led the group as far as he did by just winging it and relying on dumb luck? He was so determined to get us all out of there and now that he did, there was nothing for what came next? Newt stepped to him, his panic rising.

“We followed you out here, Thomas and now you’re saying that you have no idea where we’re going or what we’re doing!” His voice broke as if he was going to cry out of frustration. 

“Janson said something about people hiding out in the mountains.” Aris spoke up, “They’re some kind of army.” 

“The Right Arm.” Thomas mumbled, his eyes swimming as a plan began to form in his mind. “If they’re really against WICKED, maybe they can help us.”

I looked between the two guys as they stared at each other. Newt looked doubtful of the plan as he breathed out a heavy sigh. “People… in the mountains? Mountain people? That’s your plan?”

“At least it’s  **something** ! I don’t see you contributing any ten star plans here. Enlighten me with a better idea, Newt. Come on.” I argued out of annoyance. His tone of voice for the only plan we could rely on for a shred of hope kick started a fire in my stomach. He looked at me and took a step closer, his nose practically touching mine. 

“Excuse the bloody hell outta me for not having much faith in a group of mountain dwellers, that we don’t even know exist or are really against WICKED, to help us.” 

Thomas jumped between us before our tempers got the better of us and the argument escalated. He pulled Newt away, talking quietly to him to convince him to go with the plan. Seeing as it was the only one we had. I turned away from them with an aggravated huff, my arms crossed across my chest. 

“You ok?” Aris asked. 

I bit the corner of my lower lip for a moment, then turned to him with a half smile. Even if it wasn’t a true smile, I didn’t want to be angry. 

“I’m good.” I nodded. 

“Minho, gimme a light, I think I see something.” Winston’s voice echoed through the darkness. Minho shined his flashlight over Winston’s shoulder, revealing footprints in the sand leading through the hallway. “Someone’s been here.”

I followed the others, keeping a bit of distance between me and Newt, as they followed the footprints through the building. The further we went, I realized we were in an old shopping mall. The metal mesh gates between every storefront gave it away. Minho shined the flashlight into each store, looking inside for any signs of life. He stopped in front of a department store, the lock on the gate was broken, and supplies littered the ground. Thomas and Frypan lifted the gate up, and we carefully wandered inside. The state of the supplies looked like nobody had touched them for months, maybe even years. Dust and cobwebs covered everything. My shins ran into a small end table, rocking it just enough to knock everything off of it. The guys jumped, and shined their lights at me as I grabbed the table to keep it from falling over. 

“Sorry.” I whispered. A glint of metal caught my attention and I picked up a small red flashlight. Surprisingly, the batteries still had a charge. Shouldn’t run into anything now if I had my own light. I wandered away from them, counting all the beds that were in the room. There had to have been at least a dozen or more people that stayed here. I found myself wondering where they all had gone to. 

Newt voiced my thoughts as he asked, “Where are the people that were here?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Thomas said as he shook out a jacket, “Split up and pack some of this stuff up. Anything that we might need. Meet back here.” 

He certainly knew how to take charge. Newt tossed him a flashlight, and him and Minho walked off. I found an empty shoulder pack hanging from the wall. It was still in decent shape, no holes or rips on the bottom. I grabbed it and started filling it with anything I could find that would be useful. Old packs of crackers and empty water canteens I stuffed into the side pockets. Old sheets and pillowcases lay strewn about the floor, I picked up a few and stuffed them into the bigger pocket. They could be useful for something. The collar of my shirt, stiff with dried sweat and sand, scratched at my neck. There were piles of clothes on tables, and I took a quick glance around to make sure nobody was around to see me. I dropped the bag to the ground and shuffled through the clothes to find something more comfortable, settling on a maroon tank top and army green cargo pants. My black combat boots were in good enough condition that I didn’t feel the need to change them. Nothing wrong with scuff marks. I wasted no time stripping my clothes off and tossing them onto the pile of clothes nearby. While I fiddled with my bra straps, a pair of footsteps shuffled in front of me.

“Oh God! I’m sorry!” 

The surprise of someone else being there startled me. For a quick second, I didn’t even care that I was half naked. I just wanted to know who snuck up on me. Throwing my hair over my shoulder, I caught Newt covering his eyes with his arm and turning his back towards me. The skin on the back of his neck was practically glowing red as his face flushed with embarrassment. I quickly turned my back to him, my face also flushed, and threw my shirt over my head to cover up. 

“Christ, give a girl a warning why don’t ya?” I fumbled with my pants, too flustered to properly put them on.

“I didn’t know you were- I thought that…” He stumbled over his words for a while before deciding to just say, “I’m sorry.”

Taking a deep, calming breath, I managed to properly put my pants on and tie my hair back with a scrap piece of cloth. 

“Suppose it could have been worse.” I joked, attempting to make the awkwardness disappear between us, “At least I wasn’t completely naked huh?”

I tied a grey hoodie around my waist as I turned back to him. The prolonged silence on his end, and the fact that his neck was still red, proved that I didn’t succeed at all in relieving the tension. In fact, I might have just made it worse. I cleared my throat and tapped his shoulder so he knew it was safe to turn around. 

“So um… I’m sorry about what I said earlier.” Nervously, I rubbed my forearms and struggled to keep eye contact with him, “I know tensions were high and you were just scared-”

“Scared? Psh… me? Scared…” He half smiled at me, the grin not reaching his eyes as they gave away how he really felt. I breathed a chuckle and patted his shoulder as I walked past him. When I threw my shoulder pack around me, I may or may not have purposefully knocked him with it. His response was a low chuckle. 

The small store suddenly lit up. Random strings of lights illuminating over makeshift tents and beds. 

“Wow. That’s much better.” I said with raised eyebrows. 

Newt’s expression changed to worry as his brows furrowed. 

“Something doesn’t feel right.” He said as we joined the others outside the store. 

Utility lights flashed in the hallway, showing just how decrepit this place was. The way everything was set up though wasn’t like any normal hide out. They were trying to keep something out. 

“What’s going on?” Someone asked as we all banded together, looking around like something would suddenly pop out of the walls. 

“Hey!!” A shout echoed through the hall, drawing our attention to where it came from. Beams of light frantically bobbed around the corner and Thomas and Minho came running into view. “Hey! Run!” Thomas screamed as a hoard of screaming monsters rounded the corner after them. 

My teeth chattered as I struggled to find the will to move. More of them came following after the others, their screams getting louder and louder. There was a quick tug on my wrist, unlocking my legs and pulling me along with the others as we all ran. 

“What the hell are those things?!” Winston yelled, skipping steps up the old broken down escalators. 

“I don’t know! Just keep running!” Thomas screamed in response, “Don’t look back!”

Another monster came crashing through broken shelves and pipes ahead of us. It looked human. His skin pale white, black veins protruding from his neck. He shuffled to us, inhuman moans and shrieks coming from his mouth. I backed up, reaching for anything I could use as a weapon, when Aris ran forward. 

“Aris!” I yelled as my fingers barely brushed his hood as I tried to pull him back. He ducked under the creature’s arm and took his legs out with his bat. 

“Go! Go! Go!” Minho yelled over the growls and shrieks coming up from behind us. I grabbed Aris’s arm and pushed him ahead of me as we ran up another escalator. There were no turns ahead as the hallway continued. We had no choice but to keep going, knowing the monsters were right on our tails. My lungs burned as I struggled to breathe, adrenaline fueled my legs not allowing me to stop. Behind me there was a crash of glass and a thump of bodies hitting the ground. Stealing a glance back, Newt was pinned by one of the creatures that jumped through the window of a nearby store. 

I hesitated for one second, watching the thing growl and struggle as Newt fought to push it off of him. His flashlight revealed just how disgusting these things were as black tentacle like veins came from its mouth, inching closer to him. 

_ I’m fucking crazy! _ I thought as I ran forward and tackled the thing off of him, the two of us rolling along the floor until it crashed through the glass divider and fell to the story below. Two hands grabbed my shoulders and yanked me to my feet before I could roll off after the thing. 

“I got you! Come on!” Thomas yelled as he pushed me and Newt forward to round a corner with the others down a dark, narrow hallway. 

The screams from the creatures seemed louder as they followed us. We tried bashing open any door we could get to, finding them all to be locked shut or blocked off, before we got to the end of the hall. Thomas, Minho, Newt, and Frypan repeatedly threw their shoulders into a set of swinging doors, trying with all their might to break the padlock open. The hoard tripped over one another as they screamed for us. 

“I’ll hold them off!” Winston yelled as he pulled out a pistol and shot down the hallway. The bullets did little to hold them off as they trampled over the ones he managed to hit. “Get the door open!” He yelled as they got closer and closer. My heart pounded wildly. I didn’t want to die here, not like this. Not to these…  _ things _ ! 

“Move!” Frypan yelled as he threw his whole body into the doors and broke the lock open. We all scrambled out, Winston coming last. Before he could get through the door, a creature jumped on his back and pulled him in. Newt and Frypan grabbed his arms and pulled with all their might to free him. His screams carried over the shrieks and growls from the hoard that appeared in mere seconds. 

“Aris, come on!” I yelled, “We gotta find a way out!” 

I yanked his shoulder, pulling him with me as we ran ahead to find somewhere, anywhere we could go to get away from the monsters. My eyes wildly looked around the surrounding area for a door, or window to climb out of, not paying attention to what was below me. Before I could react, my foot caught something and I fell face first to the ground. Concrete scraping my cheek open. I looked behind me, seeing a trap door cover propped slightly open by debris. Shuffling around, I pushed the debris out of the way and fully opened the door. The way was clear, and I saw nothing below. 

“This way!” I yelled, sending Aris down first. Newt and Frypan limped as quickly as they could, Winston drawn over their shoulders. “Quick guys! In here!” 

I crawled in after them, waving for Thomas and Minho to hurry as the hoard broke through the door after them. I slid down the small ladder as they got closer. Minho jumped in, followed by Thomas who shut the door behind him and twisted a lock bar to keep the hoard out. Nothing but our flashlights lit up the underground utility shed, as we listened to the screams above of the creatures trying to get to us. I fell back against the cold wall and slid to the ground, feeling as safe as I could possibly get for the time being. 

“Is everyone ok?” Thomas asked as he did a head count and a quick check for serious injuries. 

“Define  **_okay_ ** .” I gasped, my chest heaving as I fought to catch my breath. 

“I’ll settle for alive.” Minho wiped the sweat from his forehead. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

“Alive works.” I breathed. 

Everyone sat against the wall, the shock and adrenaline of the experience we just had taking it’s time to dissipate from our bloodstream. Winston moaned in the corner as he clutched his abdomen, blood and black ooze staining his shirt. Thomas talked to him as he and Frypan patched his wounds with strips of a blanket. The room was small. I’m guessing it was only meant to hold maybe four people at the most for maintenance issues, and there were seven of us crammed shoulder to shoulder in here. How much oxygen did we have? How long would we have to stay in here until those things disappeared? 

My mind started thinking up questions as my body calmed down. None of us spoke. We were either too tired or too afraid. One by one we turned off our flashlights, throwing ourselves into a quiet darkness, where we lulled off into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. 

* * *

Painful moans and groans woke me from my slumber. My only guess as to who could be making such awful noises was Winston. He wasn't in the best shape when Newt and Frypan all but threw him down the hole. A weight lifted off my shoulder of whoever had used part of me as a pillow through the night. Someone still lay on my legs, my feet tingling from the lack of blood flow circulating through them. A light kick from me woke them up, and with a few loud pops from their neck and shoulders, they sat up. Nobody dared to turn on their flashlights. The only indication we had that it was morning was a tiny sliver of sunlight through the crack in the trapdoor. We all groaned as we moved from our uncomfortable positions.

“You think they’re gone?” Fry asked.

“Only one way to find out.” Thomas shuffled from his position, stepping carefully over stretched out legs. The rusted latch on the trapdoor squealed as he turned it open. Sunlight burned into my eyes as he lifted the door, lighting up the whole area. I held my arm over my face, hearing the door slam shut with a  **bang** as Thomas dropped it. 

“Well? Did ya see anything, Tommy?” Newt asked. 

“Nothing but blinding white light.” Thomas replied. In the darkness, I could almost see him rubbing his eyes, now sore from the sudden flash of light.

“Yeah we all saw that.” I groaned, “How about opening the door a bit more  _ slowly _ ? So we’re not all blinded.”

My comment was met with some light grunts and scoffs that could have been mistaken for laughter, but I wasn’t entirely sure. Thomas climbed the short ladder again and lifted the door just enough that only his eyes breached the surface. The small amount of light that came through the gap had made my eyes water as they struggled to adjust. Having not seen actual sunlight in months hurt more than I thought it would. He opened the door a little more, his eyes adjusting faster than the rest of us. I rapidly blinked the tears away, and stood up with the rest of the guys as they tried to see outside the crawlspace.

The silence seemed to last forever as Thomas looked in every direction he could before fully opening the door and climbing out. 

“Ok, come on.” He motioned for us to follow him out. 

We climbed out one after the other, tossing our bags up to the next person. After securing our packs, we wandered out of the mall where before us stood the ruins of a once great city. The tall buildings were burned and broken, some reduced to nothing but metal framework and concrete. Remnants of what used to be a highway covered in sand and rubble. I couldn’t help but stare as we walked the long abandoned streets. 

“What the hell happened to this place?” Fry asked as we trudged along. 

“I don’t know,” Newt answered, “but it looks like nobody’s been here in a long time.”

“You think the whole world is like this?” Aris asked from behind me.

“I hope not. This place looks like it was hit by an atom bomb.” I said as I continued looking around. Abandoned cars littered the sides of the road, crushed, rusted, and showing no signs of ever running again. I imagined what this city must have looked like in its prime. The blue sky reflecting off the glass skyscrapers as birds flew overhead. People walking the streets, visiting shops and restaurants. Cars going by, honking their horns at pedestrians as the traffic piled up. A world that I have no memory of living in, yet could picture clearly like it was just yesterday. 

“Woah.. wait, stop.” Thomas said suddenly, stopping a few paces behind us, “Do you guys hear that?”

We all stopped, focusing less on the disheveled city around us and more on the sounds. Far off beats of an airship reverberated through the buildings, getting louder and closer quickly. My heart leaped in fear, sticking in my throat.

“Everybody hide!” Thomas yelled. 

Practically tripping over each other, we crawled under the closest piece of rubble we could get to. The airship thundered over us, moving slowly through the buildings. Two helicopters accompanied it as they maneuvered through the broken city. They disappeared past the horizon, heading towards the compound where we just escaped from. 

“They’re never gonna stop hunting us… are they?” Winston said with sadness. None of us replied because we all knew the answer. We were prey. A prize for WICKED to bag, mount, and hang on their wall. They would never give up until they had us back in their custody. 

“We should keep going.” I said after the beat of the helicopter blades disappeared, “The further we get away from them, the better, and I don’t wanna stick around and wait for those things from last night to show up again.”

“I’m with shorty over here.” Minho said as we climbed out from under the rubble, “Ow! Why’d you punch me?”

“Don’t call me short…” I mumbled, walking away from him in the opposite direction of the airship, “Ya lanky beanstalk.”

“I kinda like her.” Fry chuckled behind me.

* * *

A giant sand dune shadowed the sunlight in front of us. Thomas led the way up, shouting words of encouragement to us trailing behind him. I fought to keep my breath even as I heaved myself up the loose sand. Winston lagged behind all of us. His ragged breath sounded clearly in my ears as he coughed and wheezed with every step. I felt bad for him, his injuries from the creatures must have been a lot worse than they originally seemed. 

“Almost there, guys! Keep going!” Thomas yelled ahead. 

Sweat dripped down my forehead as I joined him, Newt, and Minho at the top. Aris came up to my side, sweat dripping from his chin and his breathing labored. I patted his back.

“You alright?” I huffed. He only nodded, too winded to reply. 

Thomas pointed ahead when we all lined up next to each other, “There. Those mountains, that’s gotta be it.”

I looked out past the ruined city to the barely visible mountains in the distance. 

“That’s a long way off.” Newt said. 

“A long long way.” I added, “It’ll take us days to get there.”

“You not up for it?” Newt joked. 

I gave him a side glance before looking back to the horizon.

“Oh I’m up for it. Looks more inviting out there than it is here. I’m just worried that you won’t be able to keep up with me.” Looking back at him, I smiled. He returned my joke with a crooked grin and a short chuckle. 

“We better get moving, guys. Wasting daylight.” Thomas said. 

Before we even moved, there was a muffled  **thump** as Winston collapsed face first in the sand. Everyone rushed to his aid to keep him from sliding down the hill. Minho rolled him onto his back. He gasped for air like he was choking on something, and didn’t respond to his friends calling his name. 

“Winston?” Newt asked almost desperately, “Can you hear me?”

I pulled out my water bottle and handed it to Newt.

“Here, try to get him to drink something.” I said like I had a clue what I was doing. 

“Minho, help me with these.” Thomas ordered as him and Minho all but ran back over the dune to the pile of rubble we had climbed up moments before. 

Newt lifted Winston’s head and dribbled small doses of water into his mouth. He swallowed a little bit, the rest drooling out of his mouth as his wheezes continued. Thomas and Minho came back with broken pieces of pipes and rebar. 

“Here, we’ll make something to carry him with these.” Thomas threw down the bundle of pipes he carried. 

“Oh!” I exclaimed as I threw my pack over my head and pulled out a sheet, “Here, I brought this along.”

Thomas grabbed the sheet and him and Minho got to work putting together their contraption. They loaded Winston onto it and after making sure he was secure, we continued on our way to the mountains. 

The sun beat down on us relentlessly. The higher it got in the sky, the hotter it got. I could almost swear my skin was sizzling as it burned under the harsh rays. Eventually I was forced to put my jacket on for some type of protection. Everyone else was feeling the effects of the heat as well. If we weren't careful, our water supply wouldn't last until we reached the mountains. The heat wouldn’t be so unbearable if a decent breeze would just blow by. I’d give anything to feel the wind on my face instead of walking through hot stagnant air. 

Minutes felt like hours. Hours felt like days. With each mile we traveled, the mountains looked like they were getting further and further away. Winston’s wheezing got worse and worse with each passing second. I didn’t want to look at his fading form. Hearing how he was suffering bit at my heartstrings, and the looks on everyone else’s face didn’t help matters either. They all knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Even if they didn’t say it out loud.

* * *

A few days passed. My skin was red and blistered from exposure to the sun, and we were running dangerously low on water. We stopped to rest under some concrete pillars, and I welcomed the shade like an old friend. I slid my back along the rough material as I sat down and stretched my legs on the sand with a light groan. Aris sat down next to me, handing me his water bottle that had maybe one or two more mouthfuls left in it. With a disappointed sigh, I took it and drank only enough to keep my mouth and throat moist. 

“Thanks.” I coughed, “How you holding up?”

“About as well as everyone else.” He took a swig of water and capped the bottle, latching it back onto his pack. 

“I hear ya. I got sand in places I never thought I could. You know what sounds nice right about now? A long, cold shower.” I closed my eyes, trying to imagine myself just standing under the running water. A small smile crawled across my face as I could almost feel the cool water on my burned skin. 

“Hey.”

Newt stood in front of us, dragging me out of my fantasy and back into the hot air. I opened my eyes and looked at him, sadly. 

“Hey.” Aris replied to him. 

“Could I have a word?” He gestured his head to me with a quick nod. I sat up a little straighter and crossed my legs.

“Sure.” 

Aris left with a light pat on my shoulder to go lean on a different pillar. Newt fumbled with the ends of his shirt sleeves as he stood in front of me. 

"I never got a chance to properly thank you." He said, "Y'know… for saving my ass back there."

"Is that all?" I chuckled and rested my head on the pillar behind me.

There was a shuffling of sand and a light  _ thump  _ as he sat down next to me in the shade.

"Yeah that's all." He grumbled, sounding annoyed like I had said something wrong.

I slightly tilted my head, looking at him from the corner of my eye. His sunburnt face was exhausted, dirt and sand stuck to his cheeks and forehead from dried sweat. The corner of my mouth curled up into a small smirk. I nudged his arm with my elbow to get his attention.

"You don't need to thank me. I'm sure you would have done the same for me." I said. 

There was a hesitation with his response.

"What makes you so sure?" 

I turned my head away and thought for a moment. 

"You don't seem like the type to abandon somebody." I finally said, "And back at the compound you stood between me and WICKED, so I know you're brave enough."

Newton breathed a laugh through his nose and looked down at his lap, fumbling with a loose strand of thread on the hem of his shirt. 

"You seem pretty brave on your own. Might not need me to protect you." He laughed. 

I smiled back at him, before I could think of a reply, there was a scuffle to my right where Winston was laying. It happened so fast. One second he was laying there unconscious, and the next he was on his feet making a grab for the nearby pistol. He put it to his head, no rational thought behind what he was doing. Before he could pull the trigger, Frypan tackled into him causing Winston to fire the gun into the distance.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Fry yelled as he yanked the gun from his grip. 

Thomas, who was scouting ahead for where we needed to go, ran over to our little group as we stood crowded around Winston. 

"What happened?!" He yelled.

Frypan held his arms up in surrender, his face wild with panic.

"I don't know, man. He just woke up, grabbed the gun and tried to… he tried to…"

Everyone's attention reverted back to Winston as he collapsed to the ground heaving and shaking. Thomas took a step forward and put his hand on his back, but immediately retreated when Winston threw up a mass of black sludge. My stomach lurched at the sight, I gulped down the vomit that climbed to the top of my throat. Winston fell onto his back, wheezing and struggling to breathe. 

"Its… growing," He cried as he rolled up his shirt. The red scratch wounds he suffered days before had morphed into deep, black, cavernous wounds. His skin brown and rotten looking as black veins spider webbed their way across his abdomen, "inside me…"

Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of him, the thought of him morphing into one of those monsters from the mall flashed through my mind. Without thought, I grabbed a hold of Newt's shirt, my other hand covering my mouth to contain my cries. Winston reached out to Frypan.

"Please." He begged, "Don't let me turn into one of those things." 

None of us moved. Silence fell like a thick snow, covering us in its coldness, and freezing us to the ground. Newt shuddered beneath my hand. With everyone else being still, he took the step forward, gently taking the pistol from Frypan, and carefully placed it on Winston's chest. From the short distance away, I could see the despair in his eyes. The way his face tightened as he fought to control his emotions to stay calm for his friend. 

"Goodbye Winston." He said solemnly, his voice barely above a whisper. With a final touch to his shoulder, Newt stood and walked away with barely a passing glance to anybody. 

I hadn't known Winston long enough to be comfortable saying goodbye, so with a tearful expression to him, I turned away and followed after Newt into the desert, Aris following behind me. There was nothing anybody could say to make the situation better. The silence ate us up once again, only to be broken this time by a single gunshot that echoed across the sand dunes. Everyone stopped. I couldn't bring myself to look back to where we left him, alone and in pain. Ahead of me, Newt looked back to where his friend lay. The tears in his eyes a solemn reminder of the bond he had with him. The memories they shared together from their maze and everything there after. His jaw clenched shut and the tears streaked down his face, washing away bits of sand and dirt. 

He said nothing as he turned and continued ahead. 


End file.
